Ahead of the release of director Blessy’s epic survival drama Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), I wrote an article for the Cinema Anatomy column analysing how and why it was the most challenging film actor Prithviraj Sukumaran had taken on thus far, primarily because his character Najeeb lied far beyond his usual comfort zone, an area he only rarely ventured out of, most of the times unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, his performance in Aadujeevitham served as a testament to Prithviraj’s significant growth as an actor, showcasing how his dedicated effort truly paid dividends.
Despite this, as he gears up for the release of director Vipin Das’ Guruvayoorambala Nadayil, wherein he plays a character with numerous comedic lines and instances, doubts are rightfully high about his ability to deliver them effectively. This scepticism is not unsound. In fact, it stems from the past instances where he has struggled with similar roles due to his difficulty in loosening up physically and fully embodying his characters.
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During a recent conversation with Cue Studio, Prithviraj himself acknowledged his challenges with humour, admitting that he is more comfortable with scripted comedic moments rather than improvised ones. He also reminisced working with comedic legend Jagathy Sreekumar, who, he said, had a knack for instantly adding elements from his pocket to elevate a mundane moment into a humorous one. Prithviraj also noted that he could never match up to such seasoned performers.
A look at the actor’s career proves the same, as he has consistently struggled to deliver comedy convincingly, let alone flawlessly. From the outset of his career, he has often confined himself to a specific archetype, which could be dubbed as the “Prithviraj template,” characterised by roles that are muscular and macho who appear perpetually tense and intense, with a rigid and stoic demeanour, seeming emotionless on the surface, and delivering all lines in the same cold manner. Notably, many of his acclaimed roles, such as those in Stop Violence, Classmates, Vaasthavam, Puthiya Mukham, Urumi, Mumbai Police and Memories, fit this mould perfectly; and no doubt that he can play such characters perfectly, more so as they share similarities with his real nature, which seems to be changing nowadays. However, prior to Aadujeevitham, when faced with roles requiring emotional depth and complexity, he often faltered, hindered by his inability to move fluidly and expressively. This challenge was amplified when tackling comedic roles, as his stiffness and lack of confidence to let go of his inhibitions further impeded his performances.
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His introverted nature, coupled with his limited interaction with people at grassroots levels during his formative years due to his educational background, could have played a role in this, and the actor has yet to fully overcome these challenges. His first-ever released movie, Nakshathrakkannulla Rajakumaran Avanundoru Rajakumari (2002), itself underscored Prithviraj’s struggles with comedy. Most of his attempts at humour here were amateurish, exemplified by the caricaturish traits of his character. However, in Nandanam (2002), originally slated as his debut but released only after NRAR, his execution of the simple, funny moments appeared more genuine, probably because writer-director Ranjith had clearly scripted these moments, seamlessly blending them into the narrative. This approach made it easier for the actor as he didn’t need to depend heavily on physical expressions or improvisations, with the humour being more dialogue-driven.
With the introduction of the “Prithviraj template” in Stop Violence (2002), two scenarios emerged: either the actor started limiting himself to roles fitting this mould or filmmakers began tailoring characters specifically to his comfort zone. Regardless, even such roles with comedic elements started to feel repetitive as he adopted a similar style in his portrayals, as seen in Vellithira, Athbhutha Dweepu and Classmates. Although his performances weren’t totally lacking, they were monotonous and hence became exhausting soon. The only reliefs were Swapnakoodu and Ananthabhadram, wherein, despite the template’s influence, Prithviraj managed to do justice to the characters as they weren’t tailor-made for him. While he played an alpha philanderer with elements of gamma male behaviour in Swapnakoodu, Ananthabhadram saw him as an innocent youth ensnared by black magic, morphing into a cruel wizard.
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Vipin Das’ Guruvayoorambala Nadayil stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Basil Joseph, Nikhila Vimal and Anaswara Rajan in the lead roles. (Image: Prithviraj/Facebook)
After earning the title of the unofficial ‘angry young man’ of Malayalam cinema in the 2000s, the situation worsened, especially since both filmmakers and Prithviraj also began needlessly injecting comedy into such characters that were already exaggerated versions of the template, purely for commercial purposes. Struggling to understand if to loosen muscles or bulk up further, Prithviraj portrayed a series of such characters in films like Chocolate, Lollipop, Robin Hood, Thanthonni and Pokkiri Raja. And needless to say, these attempts were dismal. His attempts at humour here were so desperate that one could even force laughter, feeling sorry for the actor and his struggles. Yet, even this willingness of viewers failed as his humour was significantly lacking. In between, he also encountered missteps by taking on lighter roles wherein he had to tackle comedy more often, such as the ones in Kangaroo, One Way Ticket and Calendar. However, the actor’s lighter characters in Tamil films like Parijatham, Mozhi, Kannamoochi Yenada and Abhiyum Naanum, where he often portrayed a chocolate boy next door with dialogue-driven humour, earned him praise.
His further attempts at comedy in Malayalam in films like Teja Bhai & Family and Hero again fell short due to their overreliance on typical machoism, resulting in ineffective humour. Yet, when he joined forces with Ranjith again in Indian Rupee, Prithviraj delivered a commendable performance. However, even when he won hearts with his performances in serious roles such as the ones in Ayalum Njanum Thammil and Celluloid, full-on humour remained something he just couldn’t ace. Nonetheless, with Sapthamashree Thaskaraha (2014), Prithviraj again highlighted his ability to excel in well-written, organic comedy, even when outside his comfort zone.
With the industry undergoing a shift, Prithviraj also showed improvement in humorous roles, as seen in Tamaar Padaar and Amar Akbar Anthony. Though not reaching the heights of his seniors like Mohanlal or peers like his brother Indrajith, the actor continued to refine his comedic skills. However, he still struggled in roles where comedy was injected into template characters such as in Anarkali and Brother’s Day, or in handling physical comedy like in Paavada.
Prior to Guruvayoorambala Nadayil, Prithviraj’s final two complete comedy outings came in 2022 — his own directorial Bro Daddy and Alphonse Puthren’s Gold. Though his characters in both films departed from the norm, the actor’s stiffness persisted and his performances, hence, can’t be dubbed as anything significant or even better than his old ventures.
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Nevertheless, ever since Guruvayoorambala Nadayil’s promo materials began surfacing, his endearing bond with the film’s cast, especially Basil Joseph, Nikhila Vimal and Anaswara Rajan, has been a sight to behold. Many of the group video interviews showcased a rather relaxed Prithviraj, and it also appeared as if he has stopped taking himself too seriously, thus hinting at what awaits viewers in the Vipin Das directorial.
As his next project in Malayalam following his widely praised performance in Aadujeevitham, where he demonstrated significant artistic growth, expectations are high for the actor in Guruvayoorambala Nadayil. Let’s hope he can replicate the success of shedding constraints and freeing himself, just like how he did in the Blessy directorial, in this comedy-drama too and deliver a memorable performance.
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